Dungeons
The Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set is a category of companion accessories across multiple editions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game. In general, the Starter Set is a boxed set that includes a set of instructions for basic play, a low level adventure module, pre-generated characters, and other tools to help new players get started. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition TSR, Inc. published four starter sets for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Shannon Appelcline noted that by 1993 the Basic D&D line ended and was replaced with games like Dragon Quest (1992) and Dragon Strike, and that "There was another abrupt change the next year when TSR put out First Quest (1994) by Richard Baker, Zeb Cook, and Bruce Nesmith. It was an introductory AD&D game with an example of play on a CD; after two years of introductory board games, the company was now back to introductory roleplaying, though no longer under the Basic D&D brand". In 1994, First Quest: The Introduction to Role-Playing Games was released. Then in 1995, this starter set was re-released with new artwork and re-titled as the Introduction to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Game. RPG Item Version RPGGeek|website=rpggeek.com|access-date=2019-07-22}} The main difference in this new edition was that it included The Book of Lairs and did not include an audio CD''. Wizards of the Coast bought TSR, Inc. in 1997 and in 1999 they published the last starter set for the 2nd edition, the ''Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game. Similar to the previous starter sets, it included a simplified ruleset up to the 3rd level, an adventure book, and a Dungeon Master's Screen. This set also included dice, a dice bag and pre-generated characters but did not include an audio CD. Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition and v3.5 In 2000, the 3rd Edition version of Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game was released''.'' It included a 32-page rulebook, a 48-page adventure book, 32 pages of reference, a map, two pages of tokens and a "Read This First" sheet. After the revision to 3rd Edition (known as v3.5) was published in 2003, three more starter sets were published. Dungeons & Dragons|website=dnd.wizards.com|access-date=2019-07-22}} In 2004, Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game was published as an simplified version of game in the form of a board game that was compatible with the full version of v3.5. It was known as the "Black Dragon Edition" due to the black dragon on its cover. Similar to the 3rd Edition starter set, this set included quick start rules, a full rulebook, and an adventure but it also included 16 painted plastic miniatures, double-sided map tiles, and a set of dice. Then in 2006, a new edition of Dungeons & Dragons Basic Game was released''.'' It was known as the "Blue Dragon Edition" due to the blue dragon on its cover. The characters, the content of the adventure, and the miniatures were almost entirely different from the 2004 edition. In 2007, Wizards of the Coast published the Dungeons & Dragons Player's Kit. This starter set was advertised as a sequel to the Basic Game (2006). It included a booklet on how to create characters for new players, a trade paperback version of the Player’s Handbook, and a set of dice. Other Format|last=|first=|date=|website=Barnes & Noble|language=en|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2019-07-22}} Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Starter Set (blue box cover) Following the release of the new 4th Edition Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master's Guide in June 2008, the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Starter Set was released on October 21, 2008. This boxed set included an introductory version of the 4th Edition rules (a 16-page Quick Start Rules booklet and a 64-page Dungeon Master's Book), dice, three sheets of double-sided map tiles, 50 tokens (to represent characters and monsters) and an adventure module called Beneath the Village of Harken. The 2008 Starter Set was referred to as the "Blue box" edition due to its cover. A PDF version of these Quick Start Rules was made available for free download. Dungeons & Dragons 4e Dungeons & Dragons 4e Dungeon Masters Guild|website=www.dmsguild.com|language=en|access-date=2019-07-19}} Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying Game Starter Set (red box cover) This new Starter Set was released on September 7, 2010. The boxed set included two booklets (a 32-page book for players and a 64-page book for Dungeon Masters), two sheets of die-cut tokens for characters and monsters, dice, and cardstock character sheets and power cards. It also included two adventures – one designed for solo-play and one designed for group play (called The Twisting Halls). The 2010 Starter Set was referred to as the "Red box" edition. Shannon Appelcline noted that "Wizards' final major expansion of 2010, Essentials, was the biggest change for D&D since the 2008 release of the 4E rules. Intended to offer an easier entry point to 4E D&D, the line kicked off with the boxed Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set (2010) — whose cover looks almost exactly like Frank Mentzer's iteration of the Dungeons & Dragons Basic Rules (1983). Though the box only took players up to second level, additional Essentials products quickly supplemented it." Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition Starter Set Unlike the 4th Edition Starter Set (2008), the 5th Edition Starter Set was released on July 15, 2014 before the new core three rulebooks (Player's Handbook, Monster Manual, Dungeon Master's Guide) were released between August and December 2014. It included a 32-page rulebook for playing characters level 1-5, a 64-page adventure module (Lost Mines of Phandelver), five pre-generated characters and dice. Lost Mines of Phandelver is set in and around the village of Phandalin (a region in the Forgotten Realms). Dungeons & Dragons|website=dnd.wizards.com|access-date=2019-07-19}} The Starter Set won "Best Supplement" in the 2014 Golden Geek Awards. Geekdo|website=BoardGameGeek|access-date=2019-07-20}} In the 2015 ENnie Awards, the Starter Set was the gold winner of "Best Production Values" and "Best Family Game". Bloomberg reported that in 2014, the Starter Set in North America sold 126,870 units. While unit sales decreased in 2015, unit sales started to increase again in 2016. In 2018, 306,670 units were sold in North America. The Starter Set's adventure, Lost Mines of Phandelver, is available as a digital product through the following Wizards of the Coast licensees: D&D Beyond, Fantasy Grounds, and Roll20. Stranger Things Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Starter Set Stranger Things Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Starter Set was released on May 1, 2019. This boxed set includes a Stranger Things themed adventure (Hunt for the Thessalhydra) that was seen in the first season of the Netflix show and pre-generated character sheets inspired by the D&D characters of the characters in the show. It also includes a set of dice and two exclusive miniatures of the Demogorgon (one painted and one unpainted). Dungeons & Dragons|website=dnd.wizards.com|access-date=2019-07-19}} Tabletop Gaming reported that "the box itself is modelled on the RPG’s iconic ‘Red Box’ released in the early 1980s, and comes with the impression of hours of love in the form of readymade scuffs, creases and tears". Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit contains a 64-page rulebook with new rules on creating characters, a new adventure titled Dragon of Icespire Peak, dice, character sheets, and 81 cards describing game mechanics. The Essentials Kit also includes a code that unlocks the Essentials Kit Bundle on D&D Beyond at no extra cost."Dungeons & Dragons’ newest starter kit lets you build out a party with a single player" – Polygon This bundle consists of the included Dragon of Icespire Peak adventure (level 1-6), as well as 3 digital-only supplementary adventures written by Wizards of the Coast: Storm Lord's Wrath (level 7-9), Sleeping Dragon’s Wake (level 9-11), and Divine Contention (level 11-13).Essentials Kit Bundle – Marketplace – D&D Beyond The product also includes a 50% off code for the Player's Handbook on D&D Beyond. See also * Editions of Dungeons & Dragons References External links * [https://dnd.wizards.com/products/tabletop-games/rpg-products/rpg_starterset 5E Starter Set] * Stranger Things Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying Game Starter Set * Dungeons & Dragons Essentials Kit Category:Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks